Manouchehr Mortazavi Information

Manouchehr Mortazavi (1929 – June 30, 2010) was a distinguished Iranian scholar, author, researcher, and professor of Persian language and literature at the University of Tabriz. He was renowned for his expertise in classical Persian poetry, especially his deep knowledge of the works of Hafez.

Early Life and Education
Mortazavi was born in 1929 in Tabriz, Iran. He began his higher education in 1946 at the Faculty of Letters, University of Tehran, and earned his bachelor’s degree in Persian language and literature in 1950. During his academic years, he studied under some of Iran’s most prominent scholars, including Badi’ al-Zaman Forouzanfar, Mohammad-Taqi Bahar, Saeed Nafisi, Ebrahim Pourdavoud, and Mohammad-Taqi Modarres Razavi.

In 1958, he completed his doctoral dissertation titled “Literary Conditions in Azerbaijan during the Ilkhanid Era” under the supervision of Badi’ al-Zaman Forouzanfar, and received his PhD in Persian literature.

Academic Career
Mortazavi began teaching at the University of Tabriz in 1958, where he would go on to serve for several decades and chair the Faculty of Letters for many years. In 1965, he published his seminal work “The School of Hafez or An Introduction to Hafez Studies”, which remains a key reference in the field of Hafez scholarship.

He briefly held the presidency of the University of Tabriz in 1977 for a period of five months.

After the Islamic Revolution in 1979, Mortazavi faced political marginalization. He was sidelined from academic life and became a target of hostility from certain nationalist and anti-Persian factions, including Pan-Turkist groups. Despite these challenges, he continued his scholarly contributions through training researchers, editing the Journal of the Faculty of Letters at the University of Tabriz, and publishing numerous important literary works and translations.

Recognition and Legacy
Mortazavi passed away on June 30, 2010, at the age of 81, in his hometown of Tabriz. As per his wishes, he was buried in Vadi-e Rahmat Cemetery beside his wife.

In recognition of his lifetime of cultural and academic service, the Society for the Appreciation of Cultural Works and Dignitaries honored him as an Iranian cultural figure in a special ceremony on October 22, 2014.

Selected Works
Research on the Ilkhanid Period (1962)
The School of Hafez or An Introduction to Hafez Studies (1965)
Ferdowsi and the Shahnameh (1990)
Issues of the Ilkhanid Era (1958; revised 1991)
The Ancient Language of Azerbaijan (1981)
The Dimmed Lamp (a collection of poetry, 1954)
His memorial volume, titled “Sāye-ye Sarv-e Sahī” (The Shadow of the Graceful Cypress), was edited and published by Mohammad Taheri Khosrowshahi, a scholar at the University of Tabriz.